1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure
kept the prisoners in criminally inhuman conditions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
an inhuman indifference to the sufferings of other human beings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a classic sociological study showing just how inhuman an individual can become when given absolute power over another
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inhuman
To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.
—
Jeremy Mennis,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
The power of his work resides not in ideological argument or moral screed but in the observation of characters struggling to maintain their humanity in an inhuman system.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
This is the palette of the machine-made, that which is inhuman, and Duchamp would drive the point home in Coffee Mill (1911), a tiny painting of a grinder that expels a cascade of brown beans.
—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inhuman
Jeremy Mennis,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
The power of his work resides not in ideological argument or moral screed but in the observation of characters struggling to maintain their humanity in an inhuman system.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
This is the palette of the machine-made, that which is inhuman, and Duchamp would drive the point home in Coffee Mill (1911), a tiny painting of a grinder that expels a cascade of brown beans.
—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inhuman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhuman
Adjective
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Dealing with extreme heat in India, where oppressive temperatures have become a matter of routine in recent years, revealed another disconnect.
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The Shah was so corrupt and oppressive that the 1979 revolution was almost inevitable.
Adjective
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Canadian quartet Truck Violence have been sloshing together these subgenres in a ruthless manner for several years now, and their sophomore album and debut for the Flenser aims for even higher drops between those peaks and valleys.
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There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Adjective
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The New York Mets are in disarray thanks to a brutal start to what was supposed to be a promising season.
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In 1972, a year after a brutal conflict—one in which India helped with the rebirth of the eastern wing of Pakistan as Bangladesh—New Delhi and Islamabad concluded an agreement that resumed limited trade.
Adjective
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Plant magnolias somewhere they will be protected from harsh winds, especially when buds or flowers are developing.
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Most clarifying shampoos tend to be a little harsh and drying, but this one is gentle and nourishing.
Adjective
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The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
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Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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Summer 2026 is having a tough time deciding on this season’s dominating nail trend.
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These are typically low-wage jobs that the healthcare industry writ large has had a tough time recruiting for since the pandemic.
Adjective
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Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
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Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
Cite this Entry
“Inhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhuman. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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